The world's most populous country registered 14 more million citizens

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March 29, 2017 03:30 PM EDT

The world's most populous country just grew.

China extended registration permits to roughly 14 million previously unregistered citizens over the course of four years, the Ministry of Public Security reported. That means orphans and "black children," or those who were born during the strict enforcement of the country's one-child policy, now have access to social benefits such as medical insurance and access to education.

To put things in perspective, China registered more citizens in the past four years than the number of residents that live in Pennsylvania or Illinois, as noted by World Population Review.

Remnants of China's one-child policy remain

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Parents who violated the family planning policy had initially refrained from getting permits for their children so as to avoid fines or even punishment. Though the policy was relaxed in 2015, there remains a backlog of unregistered children.

China hopes to completely eradicate the problem of its unregistered residents in the next two of three years, MPS added.